Nails

Nails: Nails lettered A-F are hand wrought. That means each shank was made by hand, with the heads created separately and attached by hand. While hand wrought nails were labor intensive to create, they could be bent without breaking (clinching), so they could lock two boards together very securely. Hand wrought nails were used for doors, shutters, and attic floorboards (Edwards and Wells 1993:3). Images G-U are all cut nails. These were cut out of plates or strips of iron by machine. The heads were also attached by machine. Nails G-I were used for finishing and floors. The other cut nails show were probably used for framing, flooring, or trim.